Mad Catz M.O.U.S.9 Gaming Mouse Review

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Mad Catz Mouse Detailed Features

The bottom of the mouse has a helpful sticker showing how to set things up. First, you remove the pop-out Bluetooth nano receiver. Then you plug it into your computer’s USB port (if your computer has a Bluetooth Smart 4.0 chipset and OS support for same, you don’t need the nano receiver. But Windows 8 is the only OS with software support, and only a very recent machine will have BT 4.0 hardware. So you’re gonna use the nano receiver). Then you insert the included battery and turn the mouse on. After that, you wonder why the buttons work fine but the mouse doesn’t track, and finally you’ll figure out that the helpful sticker covers the optical sensor. The mouse and nano receiver pair automatically.

The R.A.T. 9 wireless mouse I reviewed previously comes with two proprietary LiIon batteries. When fully charged, the batteries are good for about 8-10 hours of use. The M.O.U.S.9, in contrast, is powered by a single “AA” battery that Mad Catz says should last for a year.

The accessories included comprise a mesh carrying bag (with a new “AA” battery inside), the instruction manual, some Mad Catz stickers, and some game ads.

The similarity to the R.A.T. series continues on the bottom of the mouse. Both the R.A.T. (left) and the M.O.U.S.9 (right) use a thick aluminum base with Teflon feet. The weight stack of the R.A.T. is replaced with the “AA” battery compartment on the new mouse, and the space the R.A.T. uses for its LiIon battery is occupied by the recess for the nano receiver on the M.O.U.S.9.

Since I keep comparing the M.O.U.S.9 with the R.A.T, you might wonder exactly what all the differences are. Mad Catz provided this helpful table:

M.O.U.S.9

R.A.T.9

Sensor

Laser (Track on glass)

Laser

DPI

990

6400 (adjustable)

Report rate (Hz)

125

1000

Tracking Speed

0.8m/sec

6m/sec

Number of programmable buttons

10

6

Modes

1

3

Total number of programmable commands

10

18

Battery

1 x AA

Rechargeable Li-Ion

Battery Life

Up to 1 Year

Up to 9 hours

DPI Switch

•

Adjustable Palm rest length

•

•

Removable Weights

•

Removable Palm Rests

•

Removable Pinkie Rests

•

Adjustable Thumb Rest

•

Connectivity

Bluetooth

2.4GHz Proprietary

It looks nice, but lots of companies make fancy mice. Let’s take a look at the included software.